"Let
our business take
care of your business!"
HOW A SEPTIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS (2)
(4) A
drainage (leaching) system, which disperses the sewage effluent into the surrounding
natural soils. There are many types of drainage systems. The
specific type utilized on a particular property is usually dependent on the
soil conditions that exist on the site. Most residential installations utilize
stone-filled leaching trenches, but galleries, pits and beds have historically
been used.
For a leaching system to function properly it must:
1. Provide enough application area. The application area is the amount of
surface area provided by the particular drainage system (sides and bottom
area of leaching units) where sewage effluent is applied to soil. The amount
of application area needed for a given house depends on the characteristics
of the soils on the property and the daily flows (in gallons) generated from
the house. The anticipated flow from a house is usually predicated on the
number of bedrooms in the dwelling.
2. Be surrounded by natural soil conditions that will be able to dissipate
and disperse the septic tank effluent discharge without becoming over saturated.
3. Provide enough capacity to store effluent during periods of unusually heavy
use or when rainfall or subsurface flooding reduces the ability of the system
to disperse the liquid. Note: Curtain drains/groundwater interceptor drains
are sometimes installed upgrade of the drainage system to minimize high groundwater
conditions.
It is important to realize that, once a system has been installed, the homeowner
can control only one of the above factors. The homeowner can control how much
water is actually being discharged to the system. Since each system has a
set maximum capacity, it behooves the homeowner not to exceed that amount.
It should be a goal of the inspection to determine the estimated water usage
the existing septic system can handle before it would likely become overloaded
and fail.
NOTE: Many homes in Connecticut are served by private wells. These homes rarely
have water meters installed on the water service line coming into the home.
Because of that fact those property owners are at a disadvantage when judging
their water usage levels since they have no way to monitor usage. It is recommended
that a water meter be installed whenever there is a concern that water usage
levels from the home may exceed the capacity of the existing septic system.
DOWNLOAD:
PDF, Printable Document File of
HOW
A SEPTIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS
